Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
Founded in Fall 2017 by Jenna Martin and Riley McDanal, the Psych & CogSci Lab has a vision of offering an experience that benefits all undergraduates in the research community. Experienced researchers can attain leadership roles within this lab setting while facilitating the training and growth of aspiring researchers so that each group is primed for more advanced research opportunities.
This year, we are following a replicate and extend structure. Mentees will be divided into groups of 4-5 and assigned a mentor that will guide them through a year-long project. The first semester will be spent replicating a published study and the second semester will be spent extending the methods based on an original idea. The studies will be provided through a database compiled by the ULab Board of Directors and dedicated graduate students. Each group will get to pick studies in areas that interest them the most. This will also allow an opportunity for projects to be published! Our projects this year involve social psychology, fMRI analyses, visual field cortices, language processing, among others. All projects will be published in a paper and poster series via UC eScholarship Open Access publishing. Posters will be presented to notable UC Berkeley faculty. This will certainly aid in getting on-campus research. Currently, Dr. Mark D'Esposito, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at UC Berkeley, serves as primary faculty advisor. As the ULab Board of Directors pursues new projects and initiatives, Dr. D'Esposito oversees their work to ensure the advancement of ULab's mission.Want to join us?
Applications can be found at the following hyperlinks: Mentor App, Mentee App, Grad Student App, and UROP App. Deadlines and details are provided on the applications.
Our Staff
Jimin Oh
I am a fourth year majoring in psychology and cognitive science and minoring in education. I currently work as a marketing, outreach, and volunteer coordination intern at the Gender Equity Resource Center and am interested in developmental psychology and psychopathology. In my free time, I like to play animal crossing, make memes, and do arts and crafts. I hope you all will learn a lot from your time with ULAB this year, and I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Jimin Oh
Jasleen Bains
I am a second-year majoring in Microbial Biology and minoring in Global Poverty and Practice (intended). I am currently involved in BPSHI (Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative) as a co-clinic coordinator, as well as the Biology Scholars Program. Outside of classes I enjoy reading, watching shows (Peaky Blinders right now), and cooking. I joined ULAB as a mentee last year, and I was able to grow more confident in my research abilities with the help of my mentor. I am super excited to work with you all this year!
Jasleen Bains
Tayeba Chowdhury
I am a third year majoring in molecular environmental biology. I am currently involved in environmental and public health research in rural and humanitarian settings on campus. I was born in Bangladesh but have lived in LA all my life. In my free time, I enjoy playing the guitar and trying new food. I was a mentee in ULAB last semester and really loved my time in the program. As the external operations director of ULAB this year, I hope to help make your experience in the program very fun and memorable!
Tayeba Chowdhury
Rachel Pham
Hi! I am a second-year intending to major in psychology. I am from the Bay Area and in my free time I like to get boba, craft, paint, and try new foods with my friends! Currently, I am involved with Delta Epsilon Mu, a pre-health fraternity and the Berkeley Medical Reserve Corps! I was a mentee last year for ULAB and I really loved how ULAB is able to bridge the disparity between students who do not have research experience and those who come to Berkeley with research experience. As the internal operations director for ULAB, I hope to bring everyone together and make your ULAB experience amazing!
Rachel Pham
Huda Jawad
Hi! I am Huda and I am a fourth year majoring in psychology. I am involved in child development research at the Social Origins Lab here on campus. I was born and raised in the Bay Area so this is home to me. I love cooking and baking whenever I have the time and enjoy traveling to explore new places. This is my first time being involved in ULAB and I am very excited to meet you all and have a great year.
Huda Jawad
Sharona Yang
I am a second-year majoring in computer science and statistics from the Bay Area. In my free time, I like to explore SF, play volleyball, and watch comedy shows. I look forward to meeting all of you!
Sharona Yang
Namrata Vedagarbha
I am a fourth-year majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology and minoring in Nutritional Sciences and Scandinavian Studies. I am currently doing research with the Whiteman Lab on campus, studying the behavioral and neural mechanisms that underlie taste specialization in fruit fly species. In my spare time, I love reading, playing the ukulele (badly), baking, and cafe-hopping with friends. ULAB has been a huge part of my college experience since freshman year and has helped me grow more confident with scientific research. I am looking forward to getting to know and working with all of you this year!
Namrata Vedagarbha
Nimangie Weerakoon
I am a sophomore majoring in molecular and cellular biology and intend to choose the immunology- infectious disease track. I am from LA and although the sunny weather can be nice, I really enjoy the weather upstate and the greenery. In my spare time, I enjoy baking, gardening, and spending time with my dog. I love learning about the various subfields within psychology, which is why I chose this ULAB department. I mentored for ULAB last year and enjoyed the program, so I hope, as your co-mentor coordinator, I can help make the experience just as enjoyable for everyone in ULAB this year!
Nimangie Weerakoon
Mark D'Esposito
Dr. Mark D'Esposito is Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology and former Director of the Henry H. Wheeler, Jr. Brain Imaging Center (2000-2020) at the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also an attending neurologist at the Northern California VA Health Care System and Adjunct Professor of Neurology at UCSF. He received his MD at SUNY Syracuse and completed a Neurology residency and fellowship at Boston University. In 1993, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where he remained until his recruitment to UC Berkeley in 2000. His lab investigates the neural mechanisms underlying working memory, cognitive control and frontal lobe function utilizing different convergent experimental approaches such as functional MRI, transcranial magnetic stimulation, pharmacological interventions and behavioral studies of healthy individuals and those with neurological disorders. Dr. D'Esposito is the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience and has received numerous awards such as the Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology from American Academy of Neurology, Best Doctors in America, and election as a Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has trained 77 post-doctoral fellows and graduate students, 55 who went on to obtained faculty positions at Universities in the United States and around the world and 36 who have achieved tenure. He has been the Principal Investigator on numerous NIH, private foundation and VA-funded grants. He has authored over 400 research publications which have been cited over 69,000 times, as well as six books on the topics of behavioral neurology and cognitive neuroscience.
Mark D'Esposito
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ULab Division Calendar
This calendar has all of the events and deadlines for the year. Exact days and times are subject to change.